Hinged cover for electrical apparatus



July 20, 1943.

' H. M. STIEGLITZ HINGED COVER FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed Jan. 12, 1942 .2 Sheets$heet l I INVENTOR HENRY Smau TZ y 1943- H. M. STIEGLITZ 2,324,738

HINGED COVER FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed Jan. 12, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 56 IN VEN TOR.

HENRY 5T/EGL rz BY 0954K ,4 TTOPNE Y l inside of the housing or inclosure.

Patented J l 20, 1943 Hat, M. suenu, st. Louis. Mo.', mum-Ito Frank Adam Electric Company. St. Louis, Mo..

a corporation of v a v I Applicationilanuary 12. 1942, Serial no. 426,394

4 Claims. (01. 2204s) This invention relates to improvements infor electrical apparatus enclosures. i

Hinged covers for plugin outlets-oi busducts and It is an object or this invention to provide an' improved cover, hinge and spring for this purpose.

Openings are provided in busduct for plugin devices and in switch and'cutout boxes, panel 1 boards and'other housings for electrical apparatus. Various forms of covers have beenused to cover these openings and yet to allow easy access through the openings to the bus bar onapparatus This invenfront or fixed cover or an electrical housing or inclosure, which in this case happens to be a cutoutbox. While the hinged cover of this invention is shown applied to this fixed cover or'a cutout box, it is of courseto be understood that this cover'may be applied with equal efllcacy to the doors oi panelboards, switchboard and the closure of openings in many'other types of electricalapparatus. I2 is the opening. provided, for allowing the fuse receptacles to project through the fixed cover and to become accessible when the hinged cover It is opened. Hi is a bead which may be provided on the fixed cover to tlon provides an improved hinge type cover for such use. In the embodiment shown and described the cover of this invention overlies all sides of the. opening. The cover may be opened and's'wung through 180 degrees so that it will lie back against the inclosure to which it is attached. This is particularly useful when it is applied to the plugin openings of busduct or similar i'nclosures.

position. In addition the cover has a snap action which makes it impossible to leave it part way open or closed. The hinge arrangement for attaching the cover to the particular housing or inclosure is simple and inexpensive and yet makes it possible to combine therewith the spring for holding the cover in either. the'open or closed position, so that even the usual expensive latch on the cover may be dispensed with if so desired.

The parts are so constructed and assembled that it is impossible for them to come loose and become lodged in the parts of the electrical apparatus where they could do considerable harm.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear from the accompanying drawings and the following description.

Referring now to the drawing in which a pre ferred embodiment of the present invention is shown; i I

Figure l is .a perspective view of the invention as app-lied to the cover of a cutout box. I

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the invention as applied to the plugin outlet of a busduct.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the portion of busduct shown in. Fig. 4 with the door removed.

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the cover shown in Fig. 4.

Its spring is arranged to hold the cover. either in the closed position'or in the full open completely surround the edge or the hinged cover when closed. This bead makes itimpossibie for any arc or spark on the inside or the cover to reach the Outside.

The hinged. cover is provided with a handle or projecting piece l8 and a lip 20 which co-operates with the opening 22 in the cover to provide a snap which locks the cover in the closed position. 'At 'one end or the cover there are formed pivots 24 which can best be seenbyin- I spection of Fig. 6 of the drawings which show another type of cover provided with this same time Of pivot. Hinge'plates 28 fit over these pivots and project through slots 28 in the fixed cover of the electrical housing or portion of the electrical apparatus to be equipped with this invention. A spring 30 is positioned between the fixed cover l0 and a spring bar 32 which-is positioned at the bottom of the hinge plateas shown in Fig. 3. The slots 36 formed at one end' 01' the door adjacent to pivot portion 24 (see Fig. 6) allow the hinge plates to be inserted therein and positioned over the pivots, after which the hinge plates can be inserted through the openings in the fixed cover of the particular apparatus inclosure in question. The spring and spring bar can then be assembled.

In Figures 4, 5 and 6 the invention is applied to a door of oval shape which is used to cover the openings provided for plugin devices in a busof openings 28 may be provided adjacent the opening in'order that the' hinge plates may be inserted on either side of the opening. This makes it possible for the cover to openin either direction. It can be seen from Fig. 4 that when the cover is closed it extends over a considerable portion of the opening on all sides. This is of course, not true of the usual type of hinged door or cover where along the hinge side there is usually an exposed crack. In this application of the invention the lip 20 cooperates with the edge of the opening 38 to form a snap catch for the cover.

In operation it can be seen that when the coverv is either closed or open the spring holds it and maintains it in this position. The ability of the door to be completely opened so that it will lie back against the busduct to which it may be attached is very useful. In such an application, the cover is out of the way of the plugin device which is usually inserted through the opening 3%.

It can be seen from the drawings that the hinge and spring for closing the door are composed of a relatively very few parts and such parts may be easily formed or stamped from metal or other material. In addition, the ease of assembly is apparent. The parts are securely held in place and it is practically impossible for them to become dislodged from their usual position.

While I have described a preferred embodiment and application of my invention it is to be understood that various modifications both in the invention itself and in the method of its application may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of an opening and cover therefor comprising an opening in the housing of an electrical apparatus, a cover plate, oppositely disposed pivots on one side of said cover plate, oppositely disposed slots in the electrical housing adjacent the opening therein, hinge plates provided with openings, said openings fitted over the pivots on the cover plate and said hinge plates extending through the slots in the housing, a bar positioned at the bottom of the openings of the hinge plates and extending between opposite hinge plates, a spring between the bar and the'underside of the housing serving to hold the door in closed or all open position.

2. The combination of an opening and cover therefor comprising a opening in an enclosure for electrical apparatus, a cover plate for said opening, oppositely disposed pivots at one side of said cover plate, a pair of slots in the enclosure adjacent one edge of the opening, a duplicate pair of slots adjacent the opposite edge of the opening, hinge plates provided with central openings and positioned over the pivots at the end of the cover plate and extending through one pair of slots in the enclosure, a bar on the underside of the enclosure extending through the central openings of opposite hinge plates at the bottom thereof and a spring positioned between the underside of the enclosure and the bar, the duplicate pair of slots allowing the hinge plate to be mounted on either side of the opening in the enclosure.

3. A section of busduct provided with an opening for plugin devices, a cover plate for said opening, oppositely disposed pivot portions at one side of said cover plate, slots adjacent the opening in the busduct, hinge plates provided with openings therethru positioned over the pivots on the cover plate and extending through the slots in the busduct, a bar on the underside of the busduct cover positioned in the bottom of the openings of hinge plates and extending therethrough, a spring positioned between the underside of the busduct and the bar to bias the hinge plates away from the underside of the busduct and to thus bias the cover plate in the open or closed position.

4. A section of busduct provided with an opening for plugin devices, a cover plate for said opening, oppositely disposed pivot portions at one side of said cover plate, slots adjacent one side of the opening in the busduct, hinge plates provided with openings therethru, positioned over the pivots on the cover plate and extending through the slots in the busduct,ja bar on the underside of the busduct extending between opposite hinge plates, a spring positioned between the underside of the busduct and the bar to bias the cover in open or closed position, and a lip formed adjacent the. side of the cover plate opposite the side provided with pivots, said lip cooperating with the edge of the opening to form a snap lock for the cover plate.

HENRY M. STIEGLITL. 

